Psalm 8

Year
2010
Duration
7'
Instrumentation
Mixed Chorus a cappella
Category
Vocal

Text Source

  • , King James Bible (Robert Barker, King's Printer) © 1611, public domain in USA

Performance History

  • Premiere
    Distler Hall, Tufts University, Medford, MA
    Tufts Chamber Singers , cond. Jamie Kirsch

I wrote this early choral piece as a meditation on one of my favorite Psalms as well as an exploration of different vocal colorings. Strongly influenced by Copland and Josquin, I tried to find combinations of certain voices and registers that would bring out the meaning of the text. I chose to use the King James Bible version of Psalm 8 because I find that interpretation to be especially poetic. The Psalm is attributed to David, the most prolific composer in the Bible, and as such I found it to be very apt for a new vocal setting.